Dental floss holder



Sept. 12, 1939. A 5 PETERSQN 2,172,591

DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER Filed June 20, 1938 hvewzz 7, X2; ezersom- PatentedSept. 12, 1939 PATENT OFFICE DENTAL FLoss HOLDER. Arthur L. Peterson,Long Beach, Calif. Application June 20, 1938,, Serial No. 214,671

9 Claims.

This invention is a dental floss holder.

It is now a more or less general practice to not only frequently cleanthe teeth of the mouth with various forms of tooth brushes, but thefurther care of" the teeth is greatly advanced by the reciprocation of astring of dental floss begreatly increase and encourage the more generaluse of floss by the people for tooth preservation by the provision of asimple, practical, low-cost, easily operated and substantial flossholder and applicator. A further object is to provide a floss holderwhich may be readily incorporated in conventional tooth brush structuresin original manufacture, or may be readily applied to various forms infinished state and in general use.

Also, an object of the invention is to provide a floss holder readilyadjustable as to its manipulating handle to facilitate access to eitherfront, side or back teeth of the user.

An additional object is to provide a floss holder of few and simpleparts and which provides for ready interchange of refill floss rolls asnecessary from time to time.

The invention consists in certain advancements in this art as set forthin the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objectsand advantages as hereinafter developed, and Whose construction,combinations and details of means will be made manifest in thedescription of the manner of operation and of the herewith illustrativeembodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations andadaptations may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principle ofthe invention as it is more directly claimed hereinbelow.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tooth brush and an attached flossholder of this invention, and Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan of the holder as adjusted along, that is, set in alongitudinal position on the brush handle, and Figure 4 is a planshowing the holder turned to a transverse position on the end or capdisc 4 inwardly of which projects a short conical flange 5. Aconsiderable length of floss F may be wound on the roll 2 between itsflange and its head. This roll 2, when filled, is adapted to be readilyinserted endwise into a complementary barrel 6 having a closed bottom '5and the front or.open end of which is conically bored at 3 to verysnugly receive and frictionally bind on the inserted conical part 5 ofthe roll 2 so the inserted roll will remain in place and not turn whenthe floss is in use.

The barrel 6 is fixed at one side to the tangentially extending mountingshank I0 from whose opposite end there upstands a prong II with a flossnotch I2 in its end to receive a length of the floss F drawn through asmall hole I3 in the upper part of the barrel 6 and at about the levelof the notch in the end of the prong II; the barrel and the shank, withits prong all preferably being of integral structure and of any suitablematerial, particularly Celluloid, or other tough composition.

By slightly loosening the roll 2 in the barrel 6 the floss can beunrolled and drawn to the prong I I thence down the outside thereof toand wound, one or two times, around the stem I5 of a clamp and cuttinghead It when the stem is depressed in an aperture I8 therefor passingthrough the bend of the prong I I where it joins the shank ID. The stemI5 is non-rotatively mounted in the aperture I8 so that when the end ofthe floss is snapped into a cutting notch I! in one side of the head I6the used, drawn-off end of the floss may be easily cut and discarded.The head is normally retracted to cutting position by a small, stifispring I9 mounted on the stem I5 under a rear end shoulder 20 of thestem.

It will be understood that the barrel 6 and the prong II may be formedas an original part of a tooth brush handle H if so desired.

In the present disclosure the shank II] is provided with a means forremovably attaching it to the handle H and for enabling it to beadjusted to any desired transverse or parallel position.

The attaching means includes a bifurcated loop or clamp 2| formingyieldable side arms 22 to slidably and adaptably receive brush handlesof various cross-sectional form. As here shown the tips of the armscurve inwardly out of plane so that they may bind at the points on aninserted handle H.

To provide for transverse or other angular adjustment of the shank I0 asto its support, it is joined thereto by a journaling rivet 23, withample friction to hold it at desired adjustment.

A modified form of floss clamp is shown in Fig. 7 as including a leafspring 25 having its forward end passed through a hole 21 in prong II,and provided with a downturned clamping bill 26 to bind on the tail endof the floss.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination wtih a handle, of a dental floss holder having meansfor pivotal adjustment of the holder on the handle to dispose the flossstrand at desired angle to or parallel therewith and including a baseattachable to the handle, and a mounting pivotally fixed on the base forapplication as a unit.

2. A handle provided with a floss stretching holder, and means forpivotally connecting the holder to the handle for longitudinal andtransverse arrangement of a tensioned strand of the floss and includingan attaching base having frictional grip arms and. a pivot for saidholder.

3. A combined dental floss holder and strand tensioning means, and meansfor frictionally and slidably attaching it as a unified assembly to theconventional tooth brush handle without change thereof in any manner andhaving a pivot for the first-named means.

4. The device of claim 3, and said attaching means including a handlereceiving, clip on clamp with compensating, cylindric grip arms.

5. A dental floss device including a barrel and a strand supportingprong connected thereto in laterally spaced relation, and means forholding a tensioned strand extending between the barrel and said prongand including a rotative barrel part carrying floss and frictionallyheld in the barrel, and a cooperative yieldable clamp.

6. A dental floss holder including a barrel having a floss pass hole inone side, and a floss holding roll forming a side of and restrainablyfitted in the barrel and rotative to feed off the floss to the saidhole, and means to receive and support the issued strand of floss andplace it under tension while the roll is held stationary in the barrel,said means including a binder for the tail end of the strand.

7. The holder of claim 6, the barrel and the roll having directlyengaging, frictional binding surfaces whereby to tension the strand.

8. A tooth applicating, floss holding device including a barrel having atangentially projected shank with an upstanding prong on the same sideas the barrel, and means including a floss reeling roll forming aclosure for and normally fitted and held against rotation in the barrel,and a tail end clamp for tensioning the floss strand between the barrelroll and the prong.

9. The device of the class described, provided with a resilient clip-ondevice having a top basal part and thickness compensating spring armsfor frictionally attaching the holding device to a conventional toothbrush handle.

ARTHUR L. PETERSON.

